


Promises in the Dark

by Ultra



Series: The Stars Hollow Advent Calendar 2020 [13]
Category: Gilmore Girls
Genre: Christmas, Episode: s02e10 The Bracebridge Dinner, F/M, Friendship/Love, Kissing, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-13
Updated: 2020-12-13
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:03:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27991965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ultra/pseuds/Ultra
Summary: Lorelai, Luke, and The Independence Inn after dark.
Relationships: Luke Danes/Lorelai Gilmore
Series: The Stars Hollow Advent Calendar 2020 [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2023573
Kudos: 15





	Promises in the Dark

_'Verse/Timeline: canon - Season 2, Episode 10, The Bracebridge Dinner_  
_Date: December 2001_

The inn always seemed different in the dark. Not scary, Lorelai never did feel that way about it, even though it was a large building and there was often a lot of strangers sleeping within. She supposed after all this time, she was just used to the old place.

Of course, that didn’t mean she couldn’t be startled by what she found in it sometimes.

“Oh my... Luke?” she checked, sure she recognised the figure curled on the couch in the lobby, blanket not quite covering him. “Luke?” she repeated, gently shaking his shoulder.

“Huh? What?” he asked as he came to, sitting up fast. “Oh, Lorelai, hi,” he said, running a hand over his face. “I’m sorry, I was just... Uh, Jess, he was snoring, and Bootsy was singing through the wall, and...”

“And you needed someplace else to be,” she said, nodding her head as she sat down beside him. “Yeah, I get that.”

“You too, huh?” he checked, pulling the blanket up around her a little, though Lorelai wasn’t convinced it was a conscious thing. “Rory doesn’t look like she would snore.”

“No, she doesn’t. Well, not currently,” she told him with a smile. “It’s just been such a weird night, one way and another.”

Between almost-fighting with Rory over her going to stay with Christopher and Sherry, to the whole blow-out between Emily and Richard, Lorelai had certainly had better nights. Of course, before that, the whole Bracebridge Dinner, it had been worth it. So very worth it, she thought to herself as she turned to look at Luke, sleep rumpled and adorable in a way she hadn’t seen him before, but honestly wouldn’t mind seeing again.

“Woah, weird thought,” she said aloud without meaning to. “Oh, sorry, ignore me,” she told Luke when he looked startled. “I’m not really a two in the morning person.”

“Is anybody?” he countered, shifting a little in his seat. “So, uh... this whole dinner thing, it was good. You did a great job.”

“Well, thank you, kind sir,” Lorelai told him with a seated mini-bow. “Honestly, it wasn’t so hard. Everything was already set up, Sookie made all the food-”

“Hey,” Luke cut in, his hand landing on her arm that was waving wildly through her explanation. “Don’t sell yourself short,” he told her as their eyes met. “You did an amazing job. You always do.”

For a second, Lorelai forgot to breathe, and then, slowly, a smile curved her lips.

“Sometimes, Luke Danes, you just say exactly the right thing, you know that?”

She wasn’t really looking for him to answer that, so it didn’t matter that he just looked away, seemingly embarrassed at the compliment.

Throwing caution to the wind on this special close-to-Christmas night, Lorelai leaned over to plant a quick kiss on his cheek. Before he could say or do anything in response, she was up from the couch, calling goodnight over her shoulder and bolting back to her room.

When she walked in and found Rory awake, asking where she had been and why she looked so flushed, Lorelai told her she just went to the bathroom and the wine from dinner was probably catching up to her. After all, how else could she possibly explain what really happened? She didn’t even really understand it herself.


End file.
